Christian Horner brushes off suggestions that Red Bull dominance would impact F1 viewership: "We are expecting things to converge"

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said that his team's dominance in the 2023 season will not affect F1 viewership, as it gives fans an opportunity to witness a title fight between two drivers of the same team.

Reigning double world champion Max Verstappen lead his teammate Sergio Perez by one point after two races. With the Austrian team looking like the 'class of the field' in 2023, fans are hopeful that the Mexican driver can push Verstappen throughout the season.

Speaking to Sky News, Horner pointed out that rivals Mercedes and Ferrari should not be counted out just yet, though:

"Well, I think that some of the racing has been fantastic, and I think we saw a great race again at the weekend between our two drivers. If you do have two dominant cars, and if those two cars are racing other, then I think that does create a spectacle in itself."

Horner contiinued:

"I have no doubt that the opposition are going to be coming back quickly. We're hearing about big Mercedes upgrades. I'm sure Ferrari aren't happy with their current position as well. So, we're fully expecting things to converge quickly."

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“I think the lag is probably between six and 12 months" - Toto Wolff on when Mercedes could challenge Red Bull

Mercedes Team principal Toto Wolff has said that they are're 6-12 months behind in their pursuit to catch up with rivals Red Bull.

Speaking to The Race, Wolff said:

“I think the lag is probably between six and 12 months because that’s the time that it took for us to figure out what was actually happening with the car. And that means we just need to have double the development speed, and a strong development slope."

Wolf continued:

“Their gains are going to be incrementally smaller if the concept is mature. I think aero-wise, wind tunnel time can help a bit, but not hugely. It’s just we’ve got to get our act together, and if we fundamentally understand where we need to put the car, then the steps are going to be large. But we need to be perfect.”

Mercedes will hope that they can sort out their issues and challenge Red Bull for the championship. If they continue to lag behind, the title race might be over even before it begins.